Beauty and the Beast

In late May, the Middle School put on this year’s spring musical over four different dates for both students and parents. This year, the show Beauty and the Beast was chosen, as it allowed a large number of students to participate as actors and other cast members. In addition, the story shares a universal message of love, hope, and redemption. Over 100 students were involved in the production, with 50 actors and around 60 stage designers – who worked on the costumes, props, set, and sound.

The show was led by middle school drama teachers Madison Auch and Michael Jorgensen, with the auditions starting in December. In total, the production took around six months to prepare, with the cast first learning the music as the show includes twelve musical numbers. Next, as the actors became more confident with their roles, they began practising the choreography, then adding the aspects the designers had worked on such as the staging and technical aspects of the show.

Each week the cast met two or three times to rehearse, with the roles assigned to the students based on their strengths and their dynamics with the other members of the cast. As this is the first full musical performance in two years due to the pandemic, it was also the first time doing a show for many of the students – with many not having sung or danced in front of an audience before. Due to this, they had to overcome the challenge of not only putting on a complex show but also getting comfortable with being in an hour-long production for the first time, including memorising lines and choreography. In particular, the older students who have more experience were invaluable assets, and through hard work and professionalism, the whole cast was able to put on an impressive show. 

Due to the large cast and the complex nature of the performance, the production required careful planning and rehearsal. Both teachers Madison Auch and Michael Jorgensen acted as directors, which allowed them to run two rehearsal rooms simultaneously – with Madison working on ensemble numbers and Mr. Michael with the principal actors. Students also enthusiastically worked as assistant directors to support rehearsals and lead the cast. Madison explains that she saw a number of changes in the students throughout this process, saying that many of them at first were not aware of the work and commitment it takes to take part in a production of this scale. However, as time passed, the students gained the responsibility and professionalism needed to lead their own rehearsals, with Madison focusing on playing the piano for the show and Mr. Michael working up in the lighting booth. Throughout the entirety of the hour-long show, Madison plays the piano live which she says ties together the emotions and theme of the musical. In addition, playing live – rather than using a recording - means that if there is a problem, she can adapt her playing to keep pace with the actors.

Alongside the acting, hours upon hours of hard work went on behind the scenes, with backstage members of the team working on both costume and make-up. The screen behind the show was designed by students through a combination of both drawing and AI-generated images, with all the imagery inspired by art from the students. In addition, the students developed the lighting sequence for the show, which was the result of around 60 hours of work and included over 300 sequences. Each and every part of the set included elements driven by the students, making the production impossible without the hard work and creativity of the entire team.

“I'm so proud of all of them, they all stepped up. I'm so proud of the level of commitment that they showed and for taking risks,” says Madison, who explains that they showed a lot of bravery in going from non-singers and dancers to being able to perform in front of the whole school. Alongside the drama, performance, and technical skills they developed, the show gave the students the chance to develop other skills such as their confidence and to collaborate with each other – culminating in an excellent show that entranced the audience.